A TERRORISM expert says the deaths of Australian recruits Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar, if proven true, would be a “significant blow” to the Islamic State.

The Australian government is today working to verify reports Australia’s two most infamous Islamic State fighters have been killed in Iraq. The ABC reports that the pair were killed this week during fighting in Mosul.

Dr Clarke Jones from the Australian National University told Lateline on Monday night that both men played very different but very significant roles with IS.
“If the reports are true and are verified I think it’ll be a significant blow to the Islamic State,” he said.
“They had a fairly major role in the Islamic State. They also performed, particularly Mohamed Elomar, a fairly significant role on social media in attracting people across to the so-called Islamic State.”
7.30 journalist Dylan Welch reported on Monday that he had spoken with family members of the men who claim the pair had been killed.
However, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government is working to verify the claims.
“Information is very difficult to come by in a conflict zone,” she said.

“You will be aware that in both Al Raqqa province in Syria and in Mosul in Iraq we have declared these areas “off limits” for Australians who have no legitimate purpose for being there. So it’s difficult for us to gain the kind of information that would be needed to verify these reports at this stage,” she said on Monday night.

“Both Mr Elomar and Mr Sharrouf rose to international infamy as a result of pictures that they posted of themselves holding up the heads of pro-Syrian fighters. They had been notorious for their violence and their barbarity and we don’t have any information at present to verify whether or not these reports are correct,” she said.
Ms Bishop told the Today Show on Tuesday morning the two men “are not martyrs”.
“They are criminal thugs, they are terrorists. They should be absolutely and utterly condemned.”

A TERRORISM expert says the deaths of Australian recruits Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar, if proven true, would be a “significant blow” to the Islamic State.
The Australian government is today working to verify reports Australia’s two most infamous Islamic State fighters have been killed in Iraq. The ABC reports that the pair were killed this week during fighting in Mosul.
Dr Clarke Jones from the Australian National University told Lateline on Monday night that both men played very different but very significant roles with IS.
“If the reports are true and are verified I think it’ll be a significant blow to the Islamic State,” he said.
“They had a fairly major role in the Islamic State. They also performed, particularly Mohamed Elomar, a fairly significant role on social media in attracting people across to the so-called Islamic State.”
7.30 journalist Dylan Welch reported on Monday that he had spoken with family members of the men who claim the pair had been killed.
However, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government is working to verify the claims.
“Information is very difficult to come by in a conflict zone,” she said.
“You will be aware that in both Al Raqqa province in Syria and in Mosul in Iraq we have declared these areas “off limits” for Australians who have no legitimate purpose for being there. So it’s difficult for us to gain the kind of information that would be needed to verify these reports at this stage,” she said on Monday night.
“Both Mr Elomar and Mr Sharrouf rose to international infamy as a result of pictures that they posted of themselves holding up the heads of pro-Syrian fighters. They had been notorious for their violence and their barbarity and we don’t have any information at present to verify whether or not these reports are correct,” she said.
Ms Bishop told the Today Show on Tuesday morning the two men “are not martyrs”.
“They are criminal thugs, they are terrorists. They should be absolutely and utterly condemned.”

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America is just the country that shows how all the written guarantees in the world for freedom are no protection against tyranny and oppression of the worst kind. There the politician has come to be looked upon as the very scum of society - Peter Kropotkin